[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by TheJagMan

I gave everyone some rep for all the great advice. I do like the Phoenix idea tiflover...Still a lot of driving hours...Lets say I land, get my luggage get the rental and head over to the Canyon, probably be 1pm, then arrive at 4pm...Or, I could stay the night in Phoenix, hit the road at 8am, arrive at the Canyon at 11am...Separate question; what do you guys recommend doing at the Canyon and how long would I stay? So leave at 1pm, get to Vegas around 7pm...Still a minimum of 9 hours driving. Maybe I'd be better off trying to find a motor coach from Phoenix to the Canyon...Then a separate one from the Canyon to Vegas...

It's your vacation dude, but the only thing you can do at the Grand Canyon in two hours is walk up to one of the overlooks, take a picture and leave. Why bother. What to do at the Big Ditch will be obvious when you get there. If you are a hiker, then take a hike. But DO NOT attempt to go to the bottom. First of all you need a permit, and the hike takes at least seven hours down and at least nine back out, so you'd have to camp at the bottom overnight. And nine hours coming up out of the Canyon is absolutely the hardest hike I've ever done and I was in the best shape of my life when I did it. Hike the rim. Drive around the rim and check out several overlooks. Check out the historical lodge. Buy a t-shirt. Go to the visitor's center and learn something. Take in a ranger talk. Look at the deer and the Albert's squirrels: Abert's Squirrel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Once there you probably won't want to leave anyway, but I'd plan on staying the night in Flagstaff. It's going in the wrong direction but that's OK. You can get a room in Williams or Seligman but that's no fun. Good restaurants in Flag. Oh yeah, on the way from Phoenix you should plan a stop in Sedona, maybe spend the night, then take Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff. It will be incredibly beautiful in October. In Oak Creek Cyn you'll want to stop at the Creek itself, then you'll want to stop at the Indian art and craft stands a little further up the mountain. Make Sedona and the Grand Cyn two or three days of your trip. You'll kick yourself if you don't. Trust me man, it will be the best part of your whole vacation.

[TheJagMan]

Originally Posted by tijlover

If you want to add a little more adventure to your trip, and save some $$$, you might want to check out the 3 Hostels in Las Vegas. Sin City Hostel is right on the strip, North of the Stratosphere, as well as HI-Las Vegas Tod Hostel and Hotel, where you can get a bunk as cheap as $17, or if you wish to spend more and get a Private Ensuite, it might run $50 for two people. This is how many Europeans travel. Then you'll have more money leftover for a Strip show or more rides at the Stratosphere. Check them out at Hostelworld.com.

I finally discovered Hostels on two trips to New York in the last year. Lots of opportunities to socialize with fellow travelers, if that's your thing. I tend to be more of a loner, but for $29 a night in Manhattan, that's hard to refuse.

Thanks. I'll skip on the bunk, but the private room is $50, the I.P. is $33/night including fees and taxes...

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

The ONLY thing that the Imperial Palace has going in its favor is the location which is center strip. And recently, it offers the cheapest rates in the center strip region.

If I were to compare the amenities with a chain, it would be the Super 8. The rooms are clean. However, they are older and pretty worn out. The rooms are small and have few amenities other than a safe and a TV.
Towels are relatively thin.

There are a dozen better hotels in and around the Strip that could be had for the same money at the current time. Two that come to mind immediately are the Orleans and Gold Coast.

Thanks...Before fees and taxes, Orleans is $135 on sat, $65 or $70 on weeknights. Grand total with fees and taxes $376...Gold Coast on the other hand is $202 including fees and taxes. Sahara & I.P is $183...Just curious, what's better about the Gold Coast?

Originally Posted by tijlover

For me, no hotel or motel room will ever be a room unless I have my own balcony. Given the limited number of hotels on the Strip without balconies, I'd stay here just for that reason only: my own balcony. Or the oldest hotel at the Sahara complex with balconies. Or Bally's with their sliver balconies.
Hooray for the developers of Cosmopolitan and all those balconies! That's where I'd stay when it opens, standing on my balcony overlooking the balcony-less City Center complex.

Thanks for your opinion...Balconies are just about the lowest priorities for me.

Originally Posted by gweilo845

The Sahara's definitely on the decline, but the rooms are decent enough for the price. Plus it is right on the Monorail, so you can use it to get to the IP (which is also on the Monorail).

Thanks. I'd only be there one night, if that's the direction I go. I'd spend the entire time in the north strip.

Originally Posted by Buzz123

It's your vacation dude, but the only thing you can do at the Grand Canyon in two hours is walk up to one of the overlooks, take a picture and leave. Why bother. What to do at the Big Ditch will be obvious when you get there. If you are a hiker, then take a hike. But DO NOT attempt to go to the bottom. First of all you need a permit, and the hike takes at least seven hours down and at least nine back out, so you'd have to camp at the bottom overnight. And nine hours coming up out of the Canyon is absolutely the hardest hike I've ever done and I was in the best shape of my life when I did it. Hike the rim. Drive around the rim and check out several overlooks. Check out the historical lodge. Buy a t-shirt. Go to the visitor's center and learn something. Take in a ranger talk. Look at the deer and the Albert's squirrels: Abert's Squirrel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Once there you probably won't want to leave anyway, but I'd plan on staying the night in Flagstaff. It's going in the wrong direction but that's OK. You can get a room in Williams or Seligman but that's no fun. Good restaurants in Flag. Oh yeah, on the way from Phoenix you should plan a stop in Sedona, maybe spend the night, then take Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff. It will be incredibly beautiful in October. In Oak Creek Cyn you'll want to stop at the Creek itself, then you'll want to stop at the Indian art and craft stands a little further up the mountain. Make Sedona and the Grand Cyn two or three days of your trip. You'll kick yourself if you don't. Trust me man, it will be the best part of your whole vacation.

Thanks, I've decided to take the airplane tour that does land. I'm big into doing the "location sampling" vacation.

[TheJagMan]

Well, if anyone cares, on vegas dot com, found for $807 total for two for seven nights at the hard rock and round trip airfare. Hmmm...lol

[Jonotastic]

To be honest, I don't think I'd want to visit San Diego without renting a car.

[gweilo845]

Keep in mind that the Hard Rock is technically "off" the strip it's on Paradise Av, not Las Vegas Blvd, a block away. To some people, that distance matters a lot, and some people get wigged out about the people you might see off LV Blvd. Neither of those really matters to me much, but you may want to keep that in mind.

I just did a quick Travelocity search for 10/15 -10/22 for airfare/hotel from SD to LV, and you can get several places on the strip for less than that. You can get in the IP for $576 for two people. It's right on the center of the strip and it should fit your cheap partying needs as a "base".

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by gweilo845

Keep in mind that the Hard Rock is technically "off" the strip it's on Paradise Av, not Las Vegas Blvd, a block away. To some people, that distance matters a lot, and some people get wigged out about the people you might see off LV Blvd. Neither of those really matters to me much, but you may want to keep that in mind.

I just did a quick Travelocity search for 10/15 -10/22 for airfare/hotel from SD to LV, and you can get several places on the strip for less than that. You can get in the IP for $576 for two people. It's right on the center of the strip and it should fit your cheap partying needs as a "base".

Not to nit pick but Paradise Road is a lot more than a block from Las Vegas Blvd. over most of it's course. The roads are parallel but sort of V shaped so that they get further apart from where Paradise begins and going south. So the Hard Rock is close to a mile from the Strip.

[TheJagMan]

Originally Posted by Jonotastic

To be honest, I don't think I'd want to visit San Diego without renting a car.

Thanks. I didn't address this; I was thinking of renting a car once I got over there. I did see huge rental drop off fees, but now see places that aren't expensive. I'm unsure if I'm even going to go to SD but it is a goal...

Originally Posted by gweilo845

Keep in mind that the Hard Rock is technically "off" the strip it's on Paradise Av, not Las Vegas Blvd, a block away. To some people, that distance matters a lot, and some people get wigged out about the people you might see off LV Blvd. Neither of those really matters to me much, but you may want to keep that in mind.

I just did a quick Travelocity search for 10/15 -10/22 for airfare/hotel from SD to LV, and you can get several places on the strip for less than that. You can get in the IP for $576 for two people. It's right on the center of the strip and it should fit your cheap partying needs as a "base".

Thanks...I'm going to be coming from GA or FL, so all that needs to be factored in.

Originally Posted by Buzz123

Not to nit pick but Paradise Road is a lot more than a block from Las Vegas Blvd. over most of it's course. The roads are parallel but sort of V shaped so that they get further apart from where Paradise begins and going south. So the Hard Rock is close to a mile from the Strip.

Thanks; useful info.